User reviews

The last time I saw this, I thought there were maybe too many songs in it that distracted the feel from the movie. But now that I've seen it again, it's clear that the songs are well written, along with the storyline.

This is not based on a true story, only loosely on a few rumors that the real Anastasia survived the killing of her family. The heroine Anya is like a Disney princess who is desperate to find out who she is and where she belongs, after suffering from amnesia following the separation of her family. The villain is the brilliant Rasputin, back from the dead, intent on extracting revenge on the Romanovs, thus starting the Russian Revolution. Dimitri and Vladimir at first are looking to find the ideal Anastasia look alike in order to get the riches from her real mother in Paris.

A lot of Bluth's films revolve around a journey and a couple involving some history on Russia. I really enjoyed the songs that played over the end credits, "At the Beginning" and "Journey To The Past" sung in her own way by Aaliyah, the beautiful angelic voiced R&B singer who left way too soon.

Brilliantly animated for its time and enjoyable for adults, Anastasia remains a classic family film.

In the late 1990s, we had two animated movies that were based on a certain event in a country's history. In 1995, Disney gave us an American "history lesson" (and I use that term loosely) with Pocahontas, but in 1997, 20th Century Fox did exactly what Disney did, except give us a look at a bit of Russian history (again, using the term "history" loosely) about the daughter of Czar Nicholas II, Anastasia Romanov, simply called...well...Anastasia. However, one thing to consider when going into this film is that this is a family picture ("kids movie" for short), so if you're looking for a true-to-life history lesson a la a PBS or History Channel documentary, you might as well throw that out the nearest airlock.

In this film, Anastasia, voiced by Meg Ryan, is a princess that went missing for several years after the attack on the Romanov family during a party, which was led by the Romanov's former confidant Rasputin, voiced by Christopher Lloyd of Back to the Future fame, who is an undead, evil sorcerer in this movie. Anastasia, now with a case of amnesia and dubbed Anya, eventually joins two con men, Dimitri (John Cusack) and Vladimir (Fraiser's Kelsey Grammar), who are convinced that she really is the missing Romanov princess, and travel to Paris, France, where her grandmother, the Dowager Empress, resides, to hopefully reunite them, all while Rasputin is seeking her unfortunate demise.

I won't judge this movie on historical accuracy, as all (or most) of us can tell that the general audience for this film is younger children, though adult audiences will also be entertained, since there was a lot of effort put into the creation of this film. That, and I wouldn't dismiss it as a "Disney knockoff" right away, because the directors of the film, Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, were former Disney animators, so it's easy to confuse this for a Disney picture like Beauty and the Beast. As a family film alone, it is pretty damn good. The artwork and animation is great, the songs are enjoyable, and the voice acting is pretty decent.

The film was such a success that it became co-director Don Bluth's comeback after a slew of mediocre to bad animated films he directed throughout most of the decade, and his highest grossing film to date. Not only that, but it warranted a direct-to-video follow up film starring the villain's sidekick, Bartok the Bat (voiced by The Simpsons' Hank Azaria in both films).

Overall, the film serves as a great choice to have playing during a family movie night, unless you're extremely picky on historical accuracy, in which case, go do something else for 97 minutes.

I watched this movie for the first time when I was 8 years old in VHS. So I'm a little biased. I love a good animated movie and this is definitely one. I used to think only Disney could do a really good animated movies but no, Anastasia is a keeper!

It's my favorite animated movie and right after it there's Mulan and Pocahontas. Anastasia is made beautifully, the animation is amazing, every frame is wonderfully made. And gosh, Dimitri is so damn beautiful haha

The songs are so beautiful, and I hear them till this day, actually I'm watching it right now for the billion time. Definitely show this to my kids as a family and kids film, it may be historically incorrect but it's beautiful and it did made me go look about Anastasia and who she was in real life so... job done!! And well done!

I first saw "Anastasia" in the theatre the last day of November, 1997, the year it came out. I was eight, the year she is in the prolouge. Ever since, I have been interested in the story of Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov, her life, and her untimely death.

While I know the movie is not historically accurate, I don't care! The movie is fiction after all- based on a true story (of Anastasia's rumored escape and women who claimed to be her), loosely, mind you- but perhaps it is not as unlikely as it seems: when the remains of the Romanovs were discovered back in 1991, Alexei (her brother,the Czarvitch) and one of the Grand Duchesses were missing. And with age analysis of the bones, scientists believe that the missing daughter is in fact Anastasia, and not one of her sisters, Olga, Tatiana, or Maria. But who really knows what happened?

My opinion of the movie is that it is wonderful. It draws you into the world of the lost Russian Princess, to a time that is "far away, long ago", that doesn't exist anymore.

The music and animation are stunning, and the photo research of St. Petersburg is amazing! Take the Catherine Palace and the magnificent gate you see, as well as the city itself. The 3-D animation is amazing; you look like you could reach out and touch it! The music is truly magical; "Once Upon a December" (especially Deana Carter's version)

is haunting yet beautiful. I own the soundtrack- I listen to it frequently

to help me relax.

But what I love best about the movie is the romance that occurs between Anya(Anastasia) and Dimitri. It starts out as a con, a trick for money, and turns into a love story. I think it shows that people really do have good in them, and that true love really exists. It's also heartwarming to think that a young boy who saved the girl he liked (princess or not) later helps her restore her identity and find a true place (in this case, happily together with him).

"Anastasia" is really my favourite movie of all time, even though now I'm almost 15. I'd recommend it to anyone, and advise historical literialists to look beyond the fiction and let yourself be taken on a "Journey to the Past" with the romance, comedy, and magic of this story.

This is my personal favourite of the Don Bluth movies. I also recommend American Tail, Land Before Time and All Dogs Go To Heaven. Anastasia is just beautiful, and was one of the most requested films when we had our family cinemas. A couple of years ago, I got it on video, and all those memories came back. I love this movie so much. The animation is gorgeous. The characters are well drawn, and the backgrounds and colours are stunning. There is a lot of wit between the characters. Not to mention a truly sweet romance between Anastasia and Dimitri. Whoever hated this movie, must be told, that this is so much more watchable than Richard Rich's King and I. Anastasia herself is so beautiful. The highlights were Anastasia's dream and the scene on the train. The songs are what make this movie. My favourite is "Once Upon a December" as it is so nostalgic, haunting and poignant. All the other songs are well done and move the story forward. Even "Dark of the Night". As for the story, yes it is historically inaccurate, but so is Pocahontas, and this is marginally better. It was so well told. In some Don Bluth movies, they lose the essence right from minute one, but not here. As for the voice talents, they were all impeccable. Meg Ryan was suitably feisty as Anastasia, and Liz Callaway did her singing voice beautifully. John Cusack put an immense amount of charm into his voice-over, although Dimitri was for me was the weakest character in the movie. Kelsey Grammar has great fun as Vladmir, and also check him out as Zozi in Bartok the Magnificent. Christopher Lloyd voices villain Rasputin with over the top menace, and the villain loses his body parts here. We have all had days like that. Hank Azaria is also great as Bartok.Underrated Broadway actress Bernadette Peters has a great french accent, and I had so much fun with her singing "Paris hold the key to your heart." For me, Angela Lansbury provides a completely human and poignant character in the Dowager Empress. Her prologue was so well paced, and there was a side to the great character actress that I never knew she had. In conclusion, a sweet and beautiful animation that is essential to all animation lovers. 9.5/10 Bethany Cox

Starring the voice talents of Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Christopher Lloyd and Kelsey Grammar At the turn of the century Imperial Russia was undergoing the throes of revolution. It didn't take long for Tzar Nicholas Romanov and his family to be murdered and replaced by the Bolsheviks.

That was the end of Tzarist Russia in 1917.

But this film is something else entirely - a beautiful romance between a peasant palace worker and the impetuous and excitable Anastasia Romanov. This is a journey through life, a quest for truth on a road less traveled.

Young Anastasia has no recollection of her past, but she is soon won over by a charming swindler who takes her to Paris to meet up with the Empress of Russia. Action, adventure and romance awaits!

Let others carp about the disservices to history: this Anastasia rises above its flaws to offer an engaging, emotionally resonant story of a girl's search for identity. Within its historical, quasi-factual context, the film presents a situation almost everyone can relate to--that of trying to find one's place in the world. Orphaned Anya's quest for her past (and, consequently, her future) strikes universal emotional chords: singing "Journey to the Past," she sets out with both trepidation and hope to find her identity and her place in the world. The haunting, poignant "Once Upon a December" sequence, one of the finest scenes in any recent film, is unforgettable, as we watch Anya's yearnings take the form of a ghostly dance with memories of a vanished life. And the final reunion where hostility melts gradually into acceptance, is one of the most moving and satisfying moments in film. Everything about the film bespeaks loving attention and quality: the magnificent animation and design re-create lavish Russian and Parisian locations (complete with recognizable artworks and cameos by celebrities of the '20s), and the screenplay balances action, humor, and genuine emotion. Villain Rasputin is clearly aimed at children, and some of the repartee between Anya and unlikely hero Dimitri may seem jarringly anachronistic, but viewers of any age should still enjoy this timeless coming-of-age story.

My Take: First-rate animation, terrific voice cast and brilliant old-fashioned storytelling.

It's hard not to mention Disney when it comes to talking about "Great Animated movies". They really started it by the way, and they perfected it. Anyone who even tries to challenge Disney (and eventually some did) will fail in comparison. Oh! Did I say anyone? Turns out, there is at least one film that manages to stand up and turn out to be a worthy successor. This is 20th Century Fox's animation studios pet project ANASTASIA, a brilliant, colorful and fast-moving romance adventure that, at some point, is a reason for the Mouse House to get a little worried. With colorful animation (rivals any of the studio's recent creations), tuneful music and no lack of energy (be it as an adventure, a romance or a comedy), ANASTASIA takes a big chance, and succeeds magnificently.

It's probably best to mention that ANASTASIA is helmed by director/animator Don Bluth, who once had work at the Mouse House, and after leaving, tried to challenge Disney's work with his own efforts with other studios. His animated efforts, save THE LAND BEFORE TIME, weren't exactly worthy sit at the Disney throne. Despite some charming intentions, Bluth's fairy tales specifically THE American TALE, much-maligned ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN and the by-the-numbers PEEBLE AND THE PENGUIN didn't reach the height already visited many times by Disney. Simply just comparing Bluth's works to Disney's works says it all. Simply the mention of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and THE LION KING will have these rival films running for cover.

But Bluth's found his BEAUTY IN THE BEAST with this one, and while not everyone will apply, ANASTASIA is a brilliant Disney successor, sometimes actually better and more mature than some of Disney's works (Shhhh! Don't say it out loud but I kinda like it a little more than BEAUTY AND THE BEAST). The animation is an improvement over Bluth's latter efforts, which can easily be described as a poor-man version of Disney animation. The animation here is far better, a marvelous fusion of the new computer-animation and the old traditional paper-and-pencil method. The final effect is outstanding and vibrant, if not nearly flawless. The voice cast is brilliant, living up to the tradition that the only way to drag adults to see an adaption of a fairy tale is to see a big-star name on the top billing. The cast in ANASTASIA are brilliant in lending their acting skills as voices to animated characters. The standout is Meg Ryan, as the voice of orphaned Anya (with singing voice by Liz Callaway) who may just be the long-lost-but-rumored-to-be-alive Grand Duchess of the title, who rivals any Disney princess simply for her spunk.

As Anya's own leading man, a love-hate relationship (a more topical subject for a G-rated effort) with con man Dimitri (voiced by John Cusack, singing-voice by Jonathan Dokuchitz), who plans to get all the money and acclaim he wants when he delivers a convincing Anastasia stand-in to the very-worried Dowager Empress Marie (the great Angela Lansbury). On the other hand, Christopher Lloyd offer his voice to the evil monk Rasputin who wants to avenge his infamy by cursing the Romanov family. Assisting him is his Albino Bat sidekick Bartok (voiced by Hank Azaria). Apparently, the villain is where the film might get its flaws. Whereas Disney villains pack a strong punch, Rasputin is your garden-variety villain. He's a creep, an evil wizard who has command of evil goblins and critters at his own disposal. He's a distraction to be sure, but thanks both to Lloyd's eccentric energy and the animators limitless imaginations (Rasputin's little demons are quite original, not to mention bold and a little scary, for an animated film), he's a welcome distraction.

Overall, the Mouse House is still on top, but ANASTASIA may be one of the few non-Disney movies that gave them a reason to worry.

Rating: ***** out of 5.

I was always a little sniffy about the sub-Disney films that Fox Animation made, such as "Prince of Egypt", "The Road to El Dorado" or "Titan AE" but given that since the Fox buyout they are now, technically Disney films themselves and one of the "Anastasia" has landed on Disney Plus.

Since the fall of the Russia Royal family, rumours of circulated that the Tsar's youngest daughter is still alive. A con-artist Dimitri (John Cusack) believes that he can make some money by travelling to Paris to convinces the Dowager Empress (Angela Lansbury) that his next girl is the right woman. He meets a woman straight out of an orphanage (Meg Ryan), who he believes bears a striking resemblance and who cannot remember her early childhood years. As they travel together, they come to believe that she might be the real thing, which raises the attention of the vengeful Rasputin (Christopher Lloyd).

As I said, I've always been a bit scornful about the Disney knock offs, but actually I thought that "Anastasia" was pretty good. The animation style has a very 'classic Disney' feel about it, which probable owes a lot to having Don Bluth as a director, who began is career working for Disney as an animator in the late 1970's, before leaving and directing "The Secret of Nimh" and "An American Tail". His co-director on this film, Gary Goldman also worked as an animator at Disney in the late 70's. Together they produce a film style that's certainly everybit as visually strong as Disney was at the time.

The vocal performances and score are good too. Angela Lansbury provides another link to the Disney world, but she's joined by Meg Ryan and John Cusack as the leads and supporting performances from Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd, Hank Azaria and Bernadette Peters. The musical combination of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens haven't really produced a classic movie score since, but they have worked consistently and won awards on Broadway. I felt the songs here were particularly strong and were nominated for the academy awards in 1998.

Storyline wise it was a decent adventure. Maybe a touch predictable and perhaps the ending felt a little rushed, the protagonists are unaware that Rasputin even exists until the last ten minutes. But certainly, good enough and overall, the movie is much better than I was anticipating.

In Anastasia you expect there to be a few musical numbers, a battle of good and evil, and romance. Well there is that but, it comes out so beautifully to where this doesn't even feel like an animated movie. It feels more real than you'd ever expect from an animated movie like this.

Anastasia is a movie about a girl named Anya who lost nearly all of her memory about her past and her family. Now with the help of a con-man named Dimitri shes going to Paris to learn the truth about her past. While on this journey an evil sorcerer (who's the reason her family died in the first place) is out bring an end to the Romanav line forever. So as Dimitri and Anya grow closer to learning the truth about her past they must also make a difficult choice about what to do as they begin to fall in love.

Anastasia is a movie that just about the entire family will enjoy. It is light-hearted, filled with laughter, beautiful music that will make you want to dance and sing, and adventure to keep you excited throughout the film. This is a film I recommend to everyone who wants to find good whole-some family entertainment to watch, because Anastasia is perfect for that very reason.

The best way to watch a movie is with suspension of disbelief - Just trust what the producers present you with and don't question it. With that, "Anastasia" is one of the most delightful movies I've seen in some time. It's like an old musical, with people spontaneously erupting into choreographed dance, but with modern dialog (And funny, at that!), an enjoyable romance, and action sequences to keep things moving. The music, while nothing to remember to the point of distraction, was perfect for humming, and even worked to advance the plot - Unlike so many animated songs put in for the sake of having a song. So it wasn't historically perfect - if it were, there'd be no story. Go ahead and feel smug that you know what really happened, but don't turn to comment to your neighbor, lest you miss one minute of the wonderfully unfolding plot.

The last surviving child of the Russian Royal Family joins two con men to reunite with her grandmother, the Dowager Empress, while the undead Rasputin seeks her death.

When Disney chose Pocahontas as a historical figure to turn into a happy cartoon, they opened a can of worms. I mean, the movie is alright, but has no connection to the reality that Pocahontas went through and how traumatic it must have been.

"Anastasia" is sort of along the same lines. The story takes place in a much more recent time, but is still very much about real people. Yet, it feels more like Don Bluth got it right. Some things are wildly inaccurate (like Rasputin being a zombie), but it comes across more like a fanciful what-if story than any attempt to whitewash history. I suppose one might say they conveniently ignored almost all of the Russian Revolution, but this is a story for kids after all.

Anastasia (1997) is honestly one of the greatest animated films of all time! Meg Ryan and John cusack voice their characters wonderfully, their voices really fit the animated characters well. The script and screenplay is awesome, very well constructed. This movie is of course very family friendly, and it's also very smart and clever, it really shows the writer's talent. I adore the visual effects too, the animation is very state of the art, and the effects are cool looking and a pleasure to see. Rasputin is a great character too! He is the films villain, and he is written very well! He is funny when he needs to be, menacing when he needs to be. His cute little bat assistant is hilarious! I absolutely loved his character, he brought lots of cute amusing anecdotes and lines to the movie. The chemistry between Anastasia and Dimitri is electric! I love the great romantic chemistry between them. Angela Lansbury was cast perfectly to voice Anastasia's grandmother, and her character was written beautifully as well, when they sing once upon a December together, oh my gosh, chills!! The musical numbers are fantastic too! I really love the songs, they just click and work well with the scenes they are in. 10/10 for Anastasia! Will always hold a special place in my heart!

This is one of the best animated films I've ever seen- and I've seen quite a few. This one stands out above the rest. It never fails to impress.

This is the story of Anastasia, princess and air to the Russian throne. She is separated from her family while she is very young as the Russian monarchy is overthrown by the evil Rasputin. Then, ten years later, the Dowager Empress (Anastasia's grandmother) offers 10,000 rubles for her return, and Dimitri, the old palace kitchen boy plots to hire a girl to pretend to be Anastasia and get the reward. EHo should he find, but the real Anastasia, long-lost at an orphanage and with no memory of who she really is. And as Dimitri and his friend take Anastasia to try and meet her grandmother, Rasputin plots to destroy her.

Despite all of that, it ends up being one of the better movies of it's year, and one of the greatest of all animated. Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammar, Christopher Lloyd, and Angela Lansbury contribute fine voicing to the animated characters, and their voices never seem awkward. However, it's the great music and songs that steal the show. Liz Callaway's singing for Anastasia is especially breath-taking.

Of course, the animation itself is great. It never looks fake or falls into unrealisticness as so many animated films do. It only compliments the witty and touching script.

Ultimately, what makes Anastasia so good is the story. It's a story that connects and moves us all This is an example of what good film-making is: it's funny, entertaining, and very sweet. And really, the songs are great. I love it! 8/10 stars!

Jay Addison

This is one of my favorite animation movies. It is beautiful and appealing to both children and adults.

The story is not historically accurate, but I would think any adult, even the ones not familiar with Russian history at all would sense that there is no truth in Rasputin selling his soul to put a curse on Romanovs. Yet I am sure this beautiful movie would awake interest in people regardless of age to find out more about it. And it is also obvious why. Which kids would want to sit through the details that lead to Russian revolution, the main story of the movie isn't that anyways but the legend of Anastasia.

The greatest strength of this movie is the animation. It is so beautifully mastered together with amazing colors and use of shadow. They also went a big way to be accurate in details when it comes to the settings, mainly the palaces. The story takes mainly place in St Petersburg and Paris and both places get a spirit about them I was especially in love with Russian scenery. So much magic and beauty about it. Not just in the palace but the beautiful snowy are out of the city as well.

The cast to give voices to the characters is amazing. Angela Lansbury was a perfect choice for the Empress Marie. All the other main characters were also very impressive considering their star status.

The music is another important element for the movie. The songs have a big variety and are beautifully sung. My personal favorite is Once Upon a December. They also did so well with collaboration the voices of the singers with those of the actors. Except for Kelsey Grammar who as I read mastered to sing Vladimir's songs on his own. I would love to go see it on stage as a musical.

And as I sad it is a wonderful movie for both kids and adults. It follows a well known princess movie formula which children love. But even so the main princess is an exceptionally strong female character who does a lot of brave things in the movie and for the most wants to find herself and her roots. The evil scenes of the movie are also appealing to children, Rasputin's character was sure created to entertain them including the little bat that is his buddy. And adults enjoy more the artful animation and the music.

Don Bluth seems to be a relic left over from the old days of Disney. His cartoons have that unmistakable old Disney feel to it. And the storylines are also pretty Disney-like. Some people might say that's a good thing, but I think that's a bad thing. Sure the old cartooning style was beautiful, and the old storylines became film classics. But the idea of good filmmaking is to come up with something original and new.

Okay, so Anastasia doesn't break from the old that much. It has some spectacular special effects. There's way too much singing in this movie. But overall, it doesn't do it too badly.

They could've gotten rid of the whole supernatural aspect of this movie, and spent time showing the two heroes, Vladmir and Dmitri, trying to train a very rough Anastasia on the ways of being a presentable royal lady. But they totally ignore this aspect of the story. It could've been good for some laughs.

Anastatsia is without doubt one of the best animated movies ever made, for several reasons. It's an amazing story, filled with adventure, romance, smart dialog and wonderful music. The story is set in Russia and other parts of Europe, both in the wonderful palaces of the Czar family and the french countryside. It tells the story of the lost princess Anastasia, and uses the rumors that she as the only one of the Romanov family survived the massacre during the Russian revolution. Anya, a girl with no memory of her past, meets with two men of questionable professions that promise to take her to Paris, if she's willing to try to convince the Dowager Emperess that she might be Anastasia... Unfortunately, the evil sorcerer Rasputin (the man who killed the Romanov family) also knows that Anya is alive, and swears to kill her, whatever the cost... So Anya is taken on a magical adventurous ride through Europe, to find her family.

One of the best things about the movie is the characters. They seem so real, like real persons, not platonic, "a beautiful damsel in distress", "a handsome hero" end of story... The music is wonderful, better than in many Disney movies, and the story very good.

The only things I don't like about the film, is the things that's dangerous about making movies about real historical events. The Romanov Family weren't the innocents victims they're painted out to be, and the fact that the story is based on that... But I've only started to think about this now when I'm older, so... Anyone who likes a good movie, rent or buy Anastasia. It's worth it.

I should recommend the Swedish version, if someone here was to see it. Helen Sjöholm is the singer of Anya's role, and she is one of the best singers in Sweden...

Based on history (the opening scene did happen in real life, but under a different cause) but with some fantasy thrown into it, Anastasia is a delightful, beautiful, adventure musical that's on par with some of Disney's princess movies if you ask me. The story is engaging, the journey the characters go on never gets old. The visuals are stunning, the characters are like-able and well-written, and the songs are gorgeous. If you haven't checked out this underappreciated gem yet, I suggest you give it a watch. It's easy to become involved in the journey and it's worth re-visiting every now and again.

"Anastasia" isn't Don Bluth's first attempt to compete with Disney, but it's certainly one of the most epic ones. While the movie was heavily hyped back in 1997 to be a really competitor to the Disney film, it certainly had the same feel and tone as a Disney classic. However, in spite of that component being a strength, "Anastasia" is still watchable on it's own merits, but it's still hampered by some flaws which makes the hype unnecessary.

As with Richard Rich's "Swan Princess" from 1994, "Anastasia" is more or less as watching a Disney film without the famous and promoted Disney logo appearing on its opening. Ironically, the creators of "Anastasia" followed the same habit as Disney by making a film based on grave, historical events, turning back to it's accuracy and rather focused on the legend. Sounds like a part of the typical Disney-formula, but even for a non-Disney film, the many components of the formula actually works on this film.

Most of the time, "Anastasia" provides as a cute and charming flick, filled with catchy Broadway songs by Stephen Flaherty/Lynn Ahrens, which actually sounds like they could been on a Disney flick and a decent score by David Newman. Anastasia herself, wonderfully voiced by Meg Ryan and nicely sung by Liz Callaway, is a surprisingly spunky and funny heroine, with a personality who outshines the Disney heroines. While her love interest Dimitri, despite his sex appeal, is less interesting, he's given a solid voice by John Cusack, which shares a good chemistry with Ryan's voice. Kelsey Grammar is endearing as Dimitri's sidekick Vladimir, Bernadette Peters is charming as the Empress cousin Sophie, while Angela Landsbury provides a great performance as The Empress.

With the exception of some badly drawn townspeople, the animation is lush and gorgeous, especially on the palaces and the architecture. The film opens with a dynamic and exciting action sequence and most of the action scenes are like that. Although some of the lines are a bit clichéd, the characters has a few amusing comments along the way.

"Anastasia's" flaws ultimately lies in it's predictability. Even for a kid movie, the story has no surprising twist and turn. The film becomes a bit sappy and boring during it's third act. While the villain Rasputin does provide some of the exciting scenes, he still comes off as a less compelling villain compared to the Disney baddies. His sidekick, Bartok the bat, has some amusing moments (and it's brilliantly voiced by the recognizable Hank Azaria), but still doesn't become the charming villain sidekick that he could have been. And the predictable love story between Anastasia and Dimitri feels as a forced and rushed, in spite of the lovebirds shares a good chemistry.

Those components prevents "Anastasia" to live up to it's full potential. However, the film still makes a watchable and entertaining effort for both kids and adults. While this film may not be one of the best animated movies ever made, it still is a worthy competitor to Disney and demonstrates an art-form that nowadays is considered as rare.

There is always room for cynicism in the world. However, to make a children's movie out of the monumental tragedy of the Russian revolution is something entirely new in the annals of history. We may safely leave aside the historical factors, such as Rasputin becoming an enemy of the Romanov family, such as the Romanovs being good and well beloved rulers, such as the Dowager Empress, Maria Fedorovna being a gentle and kindly woman (known as Dagmar the Furious in her native Denmark) and such other petty nonsense. But to make of this historical event a children's story, to make of it an industry of children's books, clothes, games, music, shoes etc . . . that is unforgivable? Won't the blood splash when they walk in those shoes? What are we to expect next? An interactive children's game called "Death Camp" with little figures in striped uniforms running away from teeny-little German shepherds? Who knows. Now, over eighty years later it will, perhaps, be possible to forgive the makers of that revolution. But it is impossible to forgive the foul scum who did not even pause before making a cake out of the monstrous mix of ash and blood, who did not stop in their cynicism and made a game out of the most tragic event of the twentieth century, and the one that spawned all others, including WWII and the Holocaust. For the people who made this film, there can be no forgiveness, for at some limits, even cynicism must come to a halt.